Viper RT/10
If we are going to look back at cars that influenced entire eras of automotive history, this one should stand out. I promise we are going to go elsewhere after
this one. Early in the 1990s, the US automotive industry saw a rejuvenation
in several releases and a lot of hype in concept car
designs. Dodge was planning to sink its fangs into the era with a radical design for the time, in with the Viper. This beast quickly shook up automotive design and function. We will
go into this more a little later.
The Casting
Mattel did a
fair job with this casting. The Viper
RT10 released in 1993. This was a time in Hot Wheels where the real cars were
starting to make a stronger comeback in the lineup as many real-world cars were
making waves. The scale of the original release is a little questionable. It
seems that the RT/10 version is a little bulky compared to some of the later
viper releases however, the casting was retooled in 2017 and the new tooling
brought a little better proportions and better detailing. The Viper RT10 has
been featured in playsets many times and was part of the collector famous 96
treasure hunt series where it was featured in the iconic white with blue stripe
livery [1]. The badging tampos are one of the most notable features with the
snake badge and iconic lettering that are always very clear and precise. The
lettering also carries onto the packaging which is notable because this is one
of very few brandings to have its unique lettering on the main line packaging.
A 1995 appearance was one mysterious version getting
featured in a treasure hunt packaging and also a later release that was not in
treasure hunt packaging. It is unclear if this was a treasure hunt or not, but
some collectors agree that if it has the packaging, it is a treasure hunt.
There is no indication that it was not an official treasure hunt nor that it
was an error but they sure were easy to find. 1996 was a year that also featured
a line that were made in China, possibly the end to the Corgi line that had
been recently bought out. The Treasure Hunt packaging was a china release so
the debate rages on.
Chrysler was owned by Lamborghini at the time
of the Vipers inception [2]. It was late in the 80s and Dodge and its
automotive group was just not hitting the marks. A new interpretation of the
Cobra was proposed and later approved. The first-generation Viper as depicted
in this casting was much like the Ferrari F40 we looked at last post. It had no
frills. No radio, no air conditioning and no anti-lock brakes just to state the
obvious ones. The Viper was fitted with a V10 that produced 400 horsepower and
465 ft-lbs of torque. These numbers were a radical move at a time where fuel
mileage regulations were hitting automakers hard. And no other US automaker had
nor has fitted a V10 into a production vehicle still to this day and highly
unlikely that anyone ever will. It had a Viper for an emblem, showing its teeth and ready to strike. The emblem did catch some distaste from Cobra purists but once the viper proved itself, those grumbles quieted down.
The Vipers V10 has a different sound than most American cars on the roads. Almost a European automotive sound which probably came from the Lamborghini influences at the time of production. All in all, this car was a beast to handle from the inception and
would prove to need some refinements that came in later generations and we will discuss further in other issues. In an article by
Car and Driver published in 2017, they revisited a first gen Viper and had some
very interesting things to say in retrospect to the vehicle. Here is a link to
the article for your own take :
This first Gen Viper
was no track star although it was Piloted by Carroll Shelby himself as the
Indianapolis 500 pace car in 1991. The Gen 1 stayed basically unrefined for 4
years before it was realized that this could make some waves in other areas of
the automotive world such as the racing scene. Gen 2 is the next evolution and
is not featured as a Hot Wheels casting but has some beautiful versions in the Matchbox line. The Gen 2 model featured a new
sculpted body with some minor refinements. New electronics and driver comforts
such as the anti-lock brakes and air conditioning. Gen 2 would also create
havoc for the Corvette fans on the track for several years to come.
Gen 2 Matchbox:
Best of luck peg hunting,
Collector Quentin
Although I own the actual diecast pictured in these posts,
all Hot Wheels packaging artwork, Mattel, Matchbox Hot Wheels logos and wheel descriptions
in regard to the Hot Wheels versions are copyrights of the Mattel toy company.
Dodge and Viper are copyrights of Dodge (now Fiat) or the
FCA US LLC.
[1] Casting information gathered from:
[2] General information gathered from:
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